MTB slicks.

Mark Hickey said:

I ride the Panaracer T-Serv for Messenger tires (odd name, great tire).
While I admit it's hard to quantify, the tires DO feel like "race tires"
(at least the 25mm versions I ride - the 35mm version feels darn nice
for a fat tire, too).

Do they make the T-Serv in MTB sizes? I need some new slicks for around
town, and I want something flat-resistant but still fast.

Our LBS has some Bontrager slicks that are about 2.3" and very thick, like
a motorcycle tire. The size would be nice, but they must be slow as
molasses, as thick and stiff as they are.

The cheap slicks from Performance/Nashbar are light and fast and otherwise
ride fine, but they're not particularly flat-resistant, or durable.

I wish Michelin would make a 2.0" version of the Carbon for MTBs. I've
been really happy with these on my road bike.

Panaracer makes good quality tires too, with real carbon black in the
tread, so I'd be willing to try whatever they're offering.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

380g is not an impressive number considering that 2" knobby MTB racing
tires can be well under 500g. Also, Panaracer is notorious for
publishing generous estimates of their tire's sizes.

Quoted message said:

The Pasela is listed at 280g on my distributors website. The 25mm
T-Serv is MIS-listed at 380 (the same weight as the 35mm version's
listing). I suspect it's really around 280 (never weighed one, but they
feel very light). I've also found that the T-Serv sizes are quite
accurate - especially when compared to most other manufacturers (for
whom 25mm is equal to 22.8mm).

I wouldn't worry about weight. Everything else about a tire matters more,
especially rolling resistance. The fastest road tires for my MTB, by far,
were Continental Avenues, which are not particularly light (over 500g).
With these there was no difference between my MTB and a road bike, except
for aero positioning.

Matt O.

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

Do they make the T-Serv in MTB sizes? I need some new slicks
for around town, and I want something flat-resistant but still fast.

Yes they do. They also make a 26" Pasela, which is one of my favourite 26"
slicks.

James Thomson

Matt O'Toole said:

Mark Hickey said:

I ride the Panaracer T-Serv for Messenger tires (odd name, great tire).
While I admit it's hard to quantify, the tires DO feel like "race tires"
(at least the 25mm versions I ride - the 35mm version feels darn nice
for a fat tire, too).

Do they make the T-Serv in MTB sizes? I need some new slicks for around
town, and I want something flat-resistant but still fast.

Yep - they come in 1.25", 1.5", and 1.75" (the latter are what I run
on my own MTB when I've got it set up in "urban mode"😉. Plenty wide,
with just enough light tread to get some grip on the sandy patches
(they don't emulate knobbies but do better than a pure slick). I've
found them to be quite "quick" - the 25mm 700c version feel like
racing tires, but are very, very flat-resistant.

<snip discussion about other options>

Quoted message said:

Panaracer makes good quality tires too, with real carbon black in the
tread, so I'd be willing to try whatever they're offering.

That carbon black does mean the tires wear very, very well. I haven't
kept perfect records, but know that they last a lot longer than the
Conti Gatorskins I used to run.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Pasela is listed at 280g on my distributors website. The 25mm
T-Serv is MIS-listed at 380 (the same weight as the 35mm version's
listing). I suspect it's really around 280 (never weighed one, but they
feel very light). I've also found that the T-Serv sizes are quite
accurate - especially when compared to most other manufacturers (for
whom 25mm is equal to 22.8mm).

I wouldn't worry about weight. Everything else about a tire matters more,
especially rolling resistance. The fastest road tires for my MTB, by far,
were Continental Avenues, which are not particularly light (over 500g).
With these there was no difference between my MTB and a road bike, except
for aero positioning.

It is quite possible to go fast on an MTB with the right tires -
getting into an aero position is the hardest part (I did a time trial
once on my MTB using REALLY long, curved bar ends as pseudo clip-ons -
ugly but it worked pretty well).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

I have Kenda Kwest slicks in 1.5" with a Kevlar belt for puncture protection
on my MTB. They're very nice, light, and fast with excellent grip.

"Mark Hickey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Matt O'Toole said:

Mark Hickey said:

I ride the Panaracer T-Serv for Messenger tires (odd name, great tire).
While I admit it's hard to quantify, the tires DO feel like "race tires"
(at least the 25mm versions I ride - the 35mm version feels darn nice
for a fat tire, too).

Do they make the T-Serv in MTB sizes? I need some new slicks for around
town, and I want something flat-resistant but still fast.

Yep - they come in 1.25", 1.5", and 1.75" (the latter are what I run
on my own MTB when I've got it set up in "urban mode"😉. Plenty wide,
with just enough light tread to get some grip on the sandy patches
(they don't emulate knobbies but do better than a pure slick). I've
found them to be quite "quick" - the 25mm 700c version feel like
racing tires, but are very, very flat-resistant.

<snip discussion about other options>

Quoted message said:

Panaracer makes good quality tires too, with real carbon black in the
tread, so I'd be willing to try whatever they're offering.

That carbon black does mean the tires wear very, very well. I haven't
kept perfect records, but know that they last a lot longer than the
Conti Gatorskins I used to run.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Pasela is listed at 280g on my distributors website. The 25mm
T-Serv is MIS-listed at 380 (the same weight as the 35mm version's
listing). I suspect it's really around 280 (never weighed one, but they
feel very light). I've also found that the T-Serv sizes are quite
accurate - especially when compared to most other manufacturers (for
whom 25mm is equal to 22.8mm).

I wouldn't worry about weight. Everything else about a tire matters more,
especially rolling resistance. The fastest road tires for my MTB, by far,
were Continental Avenues, which are not particularly light (over 500g).
With these there was no difference between my MTB and a road bike, except
for aero positioning.

It is quite possible to go fast on an MTB with the right tires -
getting into an aero position is the hardest part (I did a time trial
once on my MTB using REALLY long, curved bar ends as pseudo clip-ons -
ugly but it worked pretty well).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame